I Have Every Right to Speak During Plenary Session, Chinda Replies Gbajabiamila

• Chinda says he has a right as a lawmaker to speak on the floor of the house as a legislator.
• Reveals the issue he wanted to address.

Kingsley Chinda, the factional Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, has said that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, cannot stop him for expressing himself on the floor of the chamber.

The lawmaker who stated that he was elected to speak for his constituents, noted that the Speaker was only a first among equals.

Recall that Gbajabiamila had in the plenary of Thursday, blocked every attempt by Chinda to raise a point of order., but was turned down because he was not sitting at his allocated seat because the House recognised Ndudi Elumelu as Minority Leader, but Chinda is preferred by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

READ: Threat to Chinda is A Direct Threat And Affront to Our Democratic Order, PDP Slams Gbajabiamila

At different occasions,Gbajabiamila warned Chinda not to test the resolve of the House by insisting on speaking during the session.

Speaking with Punch on the issues, Chinda said the issue he wanted to raise was that there were errors in the votes and proceedings, which is like the minutes of the previous sitting.

“I saw some mistakes in it and I wanted to correct it before the speaker approved it. In his words, even before I was heard, I was overruled and he adopted the votes and proceedings with the errors.

“I will still make attempts to correct them because I am under a duty to so do; maybe if given the opportunity or by a motion or notice.”

He further stated that him and Speaker are colleagues and also understand the fact that he is human.

“Perhaps his temperament went a little bit higher than the normal bounds that it should be. I don’t think that he will be in the same mood the next time we sit.

When asked what he will do if he is blocked from talking next time, the lawmaker said he will take steps to ensure that he is heard on the floor of the House.

READ: We Won’t Allow You Impose A Minority Leader on Us, PDP Tells Gbajabiamila

Speaking on the issue of the wrong seat because he is not recognised as Minority Leader, Chinda accused Gbajabiamila of being biased by allowing a majority All Progressives Congress member from speaking from a minority seat.

“I believe that his own feeling is that the appointment by my party was not done properly and that was why he took that position. But even at that, you also saw that with me on that front roll were some APC members who, of course, were not allotted that space.

“I insisted on laying emphasis on that seat because that was a minority roll; the seats for minority leaders. So, there is nothing an APC member will be looking for there. But he still recognised one of them to second a motion that was moved the same day. So, what is the issue of ‘you are not seated in your proper seat.’”